Maya urges SC to close CBI probe

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CPI(M) volunteers take out a rally to mark the 20th congress of the party in Kozhikode, Kerala, on Monday. — PTI

Emboldened by the Delhi high court and Income-Tax Appellate Tribunal’s verdicts in her favour in the disproportionate assets case, former Utter Pradesh chief minister and BSP supremo Mayawati on Monday submitted in the Supreme Court that the CBI should be directed to close the investigation against her.
Her counsel and party leader Satish Mishra made the submission before a bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and J. Chelameswar, which fixed her petition for final hearing on May 1.
Meanwhile, Mayawati had also written several letters to the CBI director requesting for closing the case in the wake of the HC order upholding the ITAT’s verdict giving “clean chit” to her and rejecting income-tax department’s claim against her, sources said.
Mr Mishra said ITAT had accepted Ms Mayawati’s plea that the income for the relevant period (2003-07) was through donation or gifts by her well wishers and the receipts of the same were “genuine” and thus the case of IT Commissioner against her was found to be without any basis.
In the meantime, Amresh Verma, one of the complainants against Ms Mayawati filed an application before the top court for intervening in the matter to oppose her plea. His counsel Prashant Bhushan said there were several documentary evidence on record to prove that her claim of collecting the money through gifts as wrong.
Mr Mishra said “the I-T department has reopened the entire matter. ITAT had held that it was a case of ‘genuine’ gifts. They went to the HC, which upheld the tribunal’s order. Since I-T department has not filed any appeal in the Supreme Court, the case has got finality. In view of this, the CBI has nothing to investigate,” Mishra said, adding that it has become a fit case for closure of the probe by the CBI.